How to cope with hearing loss

Relax. We all have moments when we feel as if we just aged in warp speed. But it doesn't have to be that way. Face down those moments and you can feel younger immediately. Here's how. You creak in the morning. Cartilage in your joints is wearing thin, and stiffness sets in while you sleep. It's the beginnings of osteoarthritis.

How to turn back the clock: Try a supplement with glucosamine. Research shows that it relieves pain and may help repair cartilage; it contains nutrients your body turns into cartilage lubricant. Taking it now may help forestall arthritis.

You find yourself saying "What?" more often. Too many concerts, lawn mowers, and power saws have taken their toll. First you lose the high frequencies and miss parts of words, especially in a noisy room.How to turn back the clock: You can't reverse hearing loss, but you can learn to compensate for it. Stand three to six feet away from people when you're talking with them. This will make it easier for you to take visual clues from their body language and facial expressions. Remember, too, that hearing loss can be stopped. Always wear ear protection when you're around potentially damaging noise -- from power equipment to concerts.

You need a nap. No wonder -- you're not getting as much quality sleep as you used to. When you were 25, about 20 percent of your pillow time was deep, slow-wave, restorative sleep. By age 35, you're down to less than 5 percent and fading, according to recent research.How to turn back the clock: Buy a new mattress. The one you're sleeping on probably has coils that are hooked together, meaning that a tossing partner (a person moves about 70 times a night) can wake you. A mattress with separate coils can help. So can upgrading to king size.

You enter a room and you're clueless as to why. Going blank is, in part, a memory "retrieval" problem that comes with growing older. You gradually lose brain neurons as you age. But it's also partially a product of our busy lives. How to turn back the clock: Use your nondominant hand for routine things like brushing your teeth, answering the phone, and eating. This stimulates your brain into activating new pathways -- and that means a more nimble mind. And remember (try, anyway) that memory is associative, so if you retrace your steps, there's a good chance you'll recall why you walked into the bedroom. Oh, yeah -- it's bedtime.

Source: Pure Matters

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